View of Sarajevo at sunset
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Bosnia and Herzegovina A country in search of an identity
It was only the intervention of the UN and NATO that put an end to hostilities. In November 1995, the warring factions agreed to accept the Dayton Peace Agreement, which was drawn up with the help of the European Union and the US. The Peace Agreement also laid down the constitution for the country.
Since that time, Bosnia and Herzegovina has consisted of two autonomous parts, or entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) and the Republika Srpska (RS). The border region around the town of Brčko was accorded special status as a separate district. The parts of the country share a common central government, but it has only very limited powers.
Since the summer of 2021, the leader of the Bosnian Serbs, Milorad Dodik, has been increasingly pushing for withdrawal from state institutions and thus for the secession of the Republika Srpska.
Germany’s relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina
Germany and Bosnia and Herzegovina have a long history of close political, economic and cultural ties. Germany is one of the largest bilateral donors to Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of the most important foreign policy partners and supporters of the Balkan country within the European Union. Its close cooperation with Germany has helped Bosnia and Herzegovina to promote the country’s economic and social reform processes and advance EU rapprochement. On 1 June 2015, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU entered into force. On 15 February 2016, Bosnia and Herzegovina officially applied for accession to the EU.
Transformation partners
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a transformation partner of German development cooperation. Through this form of partnership the Federal Republic of Germany channels special support for political and economic transformation in the EU neighbourhood.
Germany’s development cooperation activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina focus on sustainable economic development and on the promotion of renewables and energy efficiency.
As a consequence of current developments and divisive actions by the Bosnian Serb leadership, the BMZ is suspending the preparation of four infrastructure measures worth 105 million euros in the Republic of Srpska until all secessionist efforts are rescinded.
German development cooperation with Bosnia and Herzegovina
The government negotiations had originally been planned for November 2018 and had to be cancelled due to elections in the country and the formation of a new government, which took until the end of 2019. Later they had to be postponed again as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
In 2021, unscheduled working talks were held to prepare for the intergovernmental negotiations with pledges of 49.5 million euros for, among other things, support in dealing with the Corona crisis and adaptation to climate change. From 2022 onwards, intergovernmental negotiations will then take place in the scheduled two-year cycle.
In its development cooperation activities with Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany focuses on energy and sustainable economic development.
In April 2022, as a consequence of current developments and divisive actions by the Bosnian Serb leadership, development minister Svenja Schulze announced the suspension of the preparation of four infrastructure measures amounting to 105 million euros in the Republic of Srpska until all secessionist aspirations are withdrawn.
According to the new list of areas of German development cooperation, these priorities fall under the following core areas:
- Responsibility for our planet – climate and energy
- Training and sustainable growth for decent jobs